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The Stories We Tell 3 important techniques Metaphors (e.g. metastasizing) Numbers (e.g. 1/9): People can take the same facts and devise different conclusions. This is where values come into play. Synecdoche (e.g. Ryan White, Willie Horton): manipulation of individuals or symbols for political ends or the same portion represents the whole. Politics, unlike other arenas, opinion often counts as fact. How do we package the numbers? Source: McDonough, Experiencing Politics

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Constructing the Narrative “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography,” “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” Carter G. Woodson In this case, it is impossible to discuss the difference in social outcomes between African American and white West Virginians without also discussing the emotionally charged issues of race and racism.